The other side of a glass tank - Octavinelle (& Twisted Wonderland) X Reader

Chapter 99 - The whisper of the guilty

Following a rigorous but appropriately weighted morning of studying and doing mock battles as the main source of training, everyone started getting ready to prepare lunch.

After all, one of most important things needed to support some good strengthening on the body, is a matching diet.

With that, Azul convinced Kalim to let the students all get a hand in the kitchen, and learn how to make the best food for the occasion.

Of course, Scarabia's own kitchen wasn't big enough to host such a large number of scholars... so those who wished to participate in the making of the upcoming meal, were all called to the cafeteria.

"Maybe I should start cooking every now and then... I wouldn't have to worry about poison if I prepared meals myself!"

The white haired housewarden was pretty enthusiastic about the arrangement, being completely on board with the idea.

"Don't. You'll injure yourself again."

But needless to say, that there was also one sophomore in particular who wasn't as eager to agree.

"Okay, Sea Otter. You're in charge of stirrin' the pot." Regardless, little did it matter. Just leave it to the Octavinelle trio...

"Keep an eye on that soup and make sure it doesn't boil over, would you?" ...to completely ignore any opposing voice and simply speak over it.

Or at least, that was what Floyd and Jade were doing at the moment, pushing Kalim along with them toward a counter full of ingredients that had yet to be readied and mixed together.

"I think the best you can do is look over to avoid him harming himself..." Yuu softly spoke to Jamil, giving the long haired boy a hesitant pat on his slumped shoulder in apparent 'sympathy'.

"Sure thing! Glad to help." The red eyed dorm leader wasn't even aware of his childhood companion's take on the situation, happily following the pair of twins.

"Let us all make sure to maintain order and ask for assistance when needed." You spoke up with a calm smile, addressing all the involved students.

"Yes, Professor!" Responded a chorus, marking the start of a lively cooking session...

Which entailed a lot of cutting, mixing, stirring-! A lot of stopping Jamil to take over his master's job... and a bit of holding back the gluttonous creature from sneaking bites here and there.

But thanks to the instructions from the messier mer-eel, the food came out absolutely delicious. Statement that everyone found themselves agreeing with.

~~~~~//$\\~~~~~

"Ahhh, that was fantastic." The cheerful housewarden sighed happily as he plopped down onto a pillow on the floor, some books at hand.

"Pausing after a meal to take a light walk stimulates the brain and improves your study efficiency in the afternoon." The octo-mer mentioned with a poised smile as he took a seat beside his fellow leader.

"You know a lot about this stuff, Azul. I'm impressed." Aforementioned complimented genuinely, before deflating a bit.

"And here I was just pushing for frantic hard work with no real direction. I think I've put my students in an unfair position." His voice dripped with disappointment and regret as he hung his head down.

"The fact that you've stopped to listen to one of your peers' advices already shows that you truly had the best intentions at heart, dear." You kindly reassured the bummed out boy, resting a palm over his short but fluffy hair.

"Thank you, professor... It just feels like I'm woefully behind, despite Azul being a sophomore housewarden just like me." The young man sent you a grateful nod, but soon dropped his tone again, rubbing the side of his neck.